Combinatorial Test Design: Beyond the Gee-wiz Numbers

Combinatorial Test Design (CTD) is a great technique to ensure that your tests cover your test space thoroughly at a depth that matches the level of risk. Although it is entertaining to consider the huge number of tests required to test all combinations and compare that to the small number that CTD selects, there is so much more to learn. Karen Rosengren takes you on a journey through a program she led inside IBM. Its objective was to minimize the number of tests being run; however, in the process they learned much more about their testing efforts. They found ways to measure the effectiveness of their testing, how to clearly show the complexity of feature creep, how their understanding of the test space drove better low level designs in the product code, and how the generated test designs created a better foundation for test automation. Join Karen to learn about these additional-and valuable-benefits of CTD.